1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to methods and apparatus for imaging, such as that used in microscopy.
2. Related Art
Imaging is widely used in the study of relatively small subjects, such as living cells and biological tissue. Using a microscopy device, much can be learned by viewing a cell or other material under high magnification. Often, the cell or other subject may be treated with a stain or other compounds to help identify particular features. Different illumination conditions are also used to more clearly show portions of a subject. For example, a subject may be illuminated with a particular type of light to provide better contrast when using a stain. Most microscopy devices are equipped to accommodate variations in illumination and other features to provide desired viewing characteristics.
In general, ultraviolet (UV) light is not used in microscopy to image live cells or other living subjects because the UV illumination may cause death of the living subjects during imaging. For example, the UV illumination may cause damage to nucleic acid or other compounds in the cell such that normal cell function is disrupted to the point that the cell can no longer remain viable.